Our school yearbook class needs to buy a digital camera. We are looking to buy a brand new (not refurbished), 3 mega-pixel (can be higher) digital camera for no more than $450. Image quality is by far our number one criteria. The camera would also need to be very versital. It would be used to take sports shots, potraits, and used in poor light on occasion.

We have drooled over the Canon G1/G2 and Olympus 3040 Zoom but because of our budget these cameras are out of our grasp. Any helpful feedback will be greatly appreciated.

You should consider the Olympus C4000Z. It is a 4 mega pixel camera just released this summer. You can purchase it on line within your budget restrains. Go to www.dealtime.com. They have their vendors rated by the buyers. I recommend that you only use four star buyers. You can also look online at www.pricescan.com.

For a yearbook where you'll be taking some pictures indoors using flash, one thing you should realize is that most built in flash are only good out to 10 maybe 12 feet where the quality gets marginal at best. So it may be wise to get a camera with a hot shoe for an external flash to extend your range. In the price range you are looking at, it would have to be a non-dedicated flash and will have to be operated in 'manual' mode. The Epson 3100Z comes to mind. Good luck...Harvey